Coronavirus: already saturated, Lebanese hospitals must cope with a new influx of patients

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3 min

After the double explosion that devastated much of Beirut, Lebanon is experiencing a rebound in Covid-19 cases. With a breathless health system, the authorities are sounding the alarm: the spread of the virus could get out of control. 

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From our correspondent in Beirut, Paul Khalifeh

For several days, hundreds of cases of coronavirus have been detected in Lebanon, bringing the number of infected people to more than 8,800. The resigning Minister of Health, Hamad Hassan, has sounded the alarm. In Beirut, intensive care units in public hospitals are saturated and the situation is no better in private establishments.

The healthcare sector was hit hard by the double explosion on August 4, with four hospitals out of service. The chaos and disorganization following this drama are largely responsible for the rebound of the pandemic. In total panic, thousands of wounded were taken to hospitals, overrun by families looking for their loved ones.

A return to total containment? 

The demonstrations of anger that followed mobilized thousands of people, who gathered in Beirut, without respecting distancing or barrier gestures. The arrival of thousands of Lebanese from abroad, after the reopening of Beirut airport, also contributed to the spread of the virus.

Minister Hamad Hassan advocated a return to total containment for two weeks to curb the pandemic. Pending the authorities' decision, entire neighborhoods in Beirut, other cities and Palestinian camps have been isolated in a desperate attempt to curb the spread of the coronavirus.

►Also read: Coronavirus in Lebanon: young people are looking abroad to escape the crisis 

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